


With A Little Help From My...

by Leni



Series: Relativity Issues [5]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-28
Updated: 2017-02-28
Packaged: 2018-09-27 11:28:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,155
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10018214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Leni/pseuds/Leni
Summary: @barpurplewrites asked: Relativity Issues: 'Ella' and 'Delilah' did you give Rumpelstiltskin advice on what to get Belle for Valentine's Day?





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BarPurple](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BarPurple/gifts).



The door made no sound as it opened. Neither did the bell above it announce their presence. Rumpelstiltskin still felt a chill at the back of his neck, but was too late to whisk himself away before the two sweet-scented nightmares had spotted him.

Worse. They took a look at the small package in his hand and gave identical grimaces.

“That’s horrible,” said one, shaking her head in disappointment.

The other sighed, deigning to put her cigarette holder down enough to tell him, “It’s like you still know nothing of women, darling. How can you know so little, when you’ve had us around?”

Rumpelstiltskin grit his teeth. Tried to magic Belle’s gift back onto a shelf in the back room, and scowled when he discovered that his godmother’s power had already locked it against the effects of magic.

He settled for placing it on the counter. “Hello, Ella.” He nodded at one, then the other. “Godmother.” He glared at the two intruders, but still kept his tone smooth and polite. Ella, he could have chewed out and thrown back to the street, though he’d get a mighty earful for it; but his godmother was a dangerous creature when displeased, and it was best to treat her with the utmost consideration unless the payoff of facing her wrath was worth the risk. “What brings such lovely ladies to Storybrooke... so soon after you declared it a stifling, boring town and announced your visit was over?”

Ella lifted a corner of her lips at his words. “Soon? Why, it must have been a month at the least!”

More like three. But since he had often spent three years - and even three decades! - without seeing either of them in the flesh, Rumpelstiltskin had a feeling that this would be far from the last time his quiet life was invaded.

In the past, he had always cleared away from anything that might arouse their curiosity. His main interest was to live as a regular man, and to his great fortune the mere thought of such a ‘base’ ideal bored the two women to tears.

However, this time he had dared to dream bigger. A fool’s dream at the start, to pay special attention to the lovely, young librarian who kept smiling and making easy conversation with him despite their disastrous first meeting. Miss French - or rather, _Belle_ , as he was privileged to call her now - had returned his interest.

His birth mother and godmother had found out, and descended on Storybrooke for a personal inspection of the woman who - in their words - had dug a tunnel underneath his walls, settled inside and merrily planted a flag bearing her name in his heart.

Rumpelstiltskin had loathed the meddling, but he’d secretly prayed that their assumptions were correct.

They were.

He and Belle had now been a couple for half a year. Today, February 14th, marked not only the worldwide holiday of lovers, but also the half-year anniversary of their first date. Until his birth mother and godmother had arrived, Rumpelstiltskin had honestly believed he could make of the day a perfect memory for Belle.

Now he could only hope his plans wouldn’t be ruined beyond bearing.

“Well. If we are qualifying the sectors of this numbing world, then that awful place Ella dragged me to was by far the worst,” the Black Fairy exclaimed. “At least here there’s a decent forest where to retire in the afternoons.”

Ella sniffed. “I told you I’d take you to Central Park, you stubborn cow.” She flicked off the ashes at the tip of her cigarette with an irritated tap of her finger. Then she turned to Rumpelstiltskin with what amounted to a pleading expression. “Who could possibly hate New York?” she asked, honestly puzzled.

Instead of siding with his godmother, which was his instinct, Rumpelstiltskin shrugged. Choosing one of the women’s opinion over the other had never been safe. invariably they would reconcile and reach some compromise, and then he would look like a divisive jerk.

He faked aloofness. “So that’s why you came to Storybrooke?”

Ella made a noise between laughter and derision. “It was her idea,” she was quick to inform him.

Rumpelstiltskin hadn’t doubted it from the moment his godmother had hinted at her need to be surrounded by nature. While the myth of iron harming the fae had no basis in real life, their kind had no admiration for big cities where people ran too fast and busy to get entangled into their little schemes, and where a single robust tree was more rare than a free parking spot.

It wasn’t a question of survival, but of preference. However, after so many centuries alive, Rumpelstiltskin could see how they could meld into one. “And i’m delighted by your visit,” he assured them, still the epitome of manners, “I’m sure we can catch up and play a few rounds of the happy family, but in the meanwhile, I’m afraid I have plans already.”

His feet froze on the floor - Rumpelstiltskin glanced down and realized he was literally frozen. “Is this necessary?" His gaze would have scorched a human being, but his godmother only stared back. “Fine,” he growled, directing his magic to free his limbs. “What is it you want?”

“Why, darling,” Ella said. “To make sure you don’t bungle such a special date with your lady love.”

“A sweet child,” his godmother agreed, then reached out and summoned the small, beribboned box Rumpelstiltskin had just put down. She gave a delicate sniff of disappointment. “Surely she rates more to you than this... this...” She shook her head, giving up on an appropriate description.

Ella picked up where her oldest friend left it, giving the box a disgusted look. “It’s trite, darling,” she told Rumpelstiltskin reproachingly. “Chocolates are an adequate offer on a regular day, since I remember that darling girl mentioned she likes the stuff, but on a special date?”

Rumpelstiltskin knew the look in their eyes.

Immortal they might be, but his birth mother and godmother were, as most females, the most stubborn people when they stumbled upon a subject that interested them.

In this case, his love life.

“All right,” Rumpelstiltskin capitulated, though he snatched his gift from his godmother’s grasp and tucked it under his arm. “Say I bow to your... well, wisdom; maybe. What do you suggest?”

The two women smiled.

Rumpelstiltskin resigned himself to whatever over-the-top, unnecessarily ostentatious spectacle they would concoct together. Belle would understand, His girlfriend might not be privy to the true nature of her dear new friends, but she already knew they were unstoppable.

After the fireworks - please, gods, let them stop at fireworks! - Rumpelstiltskin still planned to find a moment before midnight to present Belle with the little box he was protecting with his own body now... and wait for her decision once she found the golden solitaire he had tucked among the sweets.

 

The End  
28/02/17

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are love! Please leave a comment!


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